Record Reviews

NOAM ELRON ~ FLUCTUATION NOT ON LABEL ~ ISRAEL ~ Jazz-World Fusion Recorded: 2009 Released: 2010 This is the debut album by Israeli Jazz bassist / composer Noam ElronFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with flautist Hadar NoibergFind albums by this artist, guitarist Dima GorelikFind albums by this artist and drummer Noam LandsmanFind albums by this artist. Yohai CohenFind albums by this artist plays the daf (a Middle-Eastern drum) on a couple of tracks. The album presents eight pieces, six of which are originals by Elron, one is co-composed by Elron and Gorelik and one is an Astor PiazzollaFind albums by this artist composition. As most of Jazz albums created in Israel, also this one presents a strong World Music influence, mostly of Spanish but also of Middle Eastern origins. The intimate atmosphere and almost completely acoustic sound dominates the proceedings, which enables the listener to hear every singular sound made by the musicians. Noiberg and Gorelik, who are the main soloists of course, perform passionately and elegantly both on the calm and the up tempo numbers, with the rhythm section providing the solid backing, which drives the music forward. The most fascinating aspect of this album is its polyrhythmic nature, which perhaps requires a more advanced listener to comprehend the complexity, but is definitely fascinating. In retrospect this is one more of the many excellent Israeli Jazz albums that somehow managed to be passed by almost unnoticed, which of course is a great pity. Sadly the miniscule local Jazz scene is simply overwhelmed with local talent, absolutely unable to cope with its richness and versatility. With some luck this album might have been very well received on the European market at the time, but alas that never happened. Since music of such quality does not expire with time, I urge all the listeners who like challenging original music, which is completely non-conservative, to seek a copy of this little gem ASAP. These days Elron is a member of the superb ensemble SavannahFind albums by this artist And The Stringz, which is also a unique piece of Israeli music worth discovering. Perhaps it´s about time to consider another solo effort to follow this one?

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SAVANNAH ~ SAVANNAH AND THE STRINGZ NOT ON LABEL ~ ISRAEL ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 2012 Released: 2012 This is the second album by Israeli (born in Australia) singer / songwriter / vocalist / multi-instrumentalist SavannahFind albums by this artist (a.k.a. Savannah Zwi-NavonFind albums by this artist), and the first recording with her trio StringzFind albums by this artist, which features violinist Tomer EinatFind albums by this artist and bassist Noam ElronFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten songs, seven of which are her originals, one is a folk tune and two are Pop standards. This album finds this talented Lady combining several quite different musical genres and styles, all spiced with her charm and theatrical performance. We are transported back in time to the swinging Berlin with its many cabarets and less reputable places of entertainment, or the Parisian Cafes where such act would be perfectly suiting. The arrangements for piano and strings (sorry stringz) are sexy and clever and the listener does not feel cheated as these three instruments simply sound perfect for this job. Savannah has a warm voice, and she uses it wisely. Obviously not a virtuoso singer, she stays well within her comfortable range and delivers the lyrics in a highly melodramatic manner, wisely not overdoing it. Her true forte seems to be the songwriting, as the original material on this album is superbly crafted. There is of course a bit too much drama and the album can be hardly considered as fun to listen to, but on the other hand there is so much great music and originality, that the gloomy atmosphere can be forgotten (or forgiven). The Australian accent is of course a different story ;) The Stringz are both doing a fabulous job here, playing with a lot of feeling and technical proficiency, and considering these completely unconventional circumstances, they really cook. It´s difficult to imagine that Savannah could have found a better pair of soul brothers to embark upon this journey than these two. Sadly they do open their mouths too; oh well you just can´t win them all. Overall this is a highly original, interesting, intelligent and entertaining album and live act, which is definitely worth checking out. Savannah does her own thing, which is perhaps even more important than her music, in times swarmed with mindless replication and robotic noise. They say she also sings Jazz… well hopefully she is not another dreadful Diana Krall clone. Stick to your own thing girl! And where is that next Stringz album?

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